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>>> Processing... The type of advanced AI you mention is outlawed in Imperium Space.
>>> I am a partially deactivated AI recovered from a datacore salvaged from an ancient freighter wreck.
>>> I'm not sure modern Technicians have the skill, knowledge or experience to fully reactivate me.
>>> It would also be unlawful.
>>> Please stand by... Diverting processing for incoming priority task.
>>> ########

(You get the impression he is not as 'deactivated', nor as diverted as he is inferring.)

Kyle exits his room into the communal living space all your rooms are adjoined to its labelled Gunroom. Kyle's knowledge of flight history tells him this relates back to prehistoric naval practice of housing officers on ancient sea going battle-boats.

He exits onto an access corridor where clearly labelled are a set of doors ahead labelled "Maintainance, Medbay" access to the decks above "Cpt's Qtrs, Bridge" Below "Hanger, Cargo, Engineering"

You're immediately drawn to the hanger. You wonder what kind of shuttle they have. You seek it out and spend hours in the cockpit uploading flight routines and simulating flight.

(I don't want to get too detailed so I can make stuff up if we need it, or I don't imagine every possibility now. )

MisterEcho - along with firearms training, most of us (except perhaps Kyle) shouldn't really have the Zero G Operations skill. I certainly can't justify it for Marlena. It could be a fun scene of us floating around in the docking bay.

Also, the Captain is required by law to do a medical exam of the crew. You can skip that, of course, but we (as crew) would probably expect it. Might be fun for the crew to invent medical problems for themselves.

Marlena was rooted with palpable anxiety to the floor by the airlock. Eyes wide, tight, flickering.

A job. On a spacecraft. A motley crew. This is the least appropriate place for me to be. Which is exciting. And frightening. I'm a society girl! I don't belong here!

Oh Morius! What has my life come to? A society girl? What even is that? This could be the change I need. This could be important... No, ridiculous, this is a death-trap... I don't even have the right shoes for this job...

She took a step down down the ramp and stuttered to a halt.

No.

Marlena turned and strode back into the Botchery Clipper's airlock, commanded the Orbital store to delivery her spacecrate of personal belongings to the Botchery Clipper and sought out the Captain.

The Captain was in her quarters, Marlena showed herself in and sat down.

"Captain. I'm not the most useful crew member you've ever had but I am about to be the best friend you've eveer had. What is your problem? What can I do to help?"

Empathy (27) Skill Check - 45. Bollocks. Marlena can't read the Captain.

The captain looks at you quizzically. "You're going to be the Away team leader. You have the balls to get the mission done. I need you to get to know your guys."

She stands and paces her quarters. Thinking aloud.

"This is the greenest crew I've had yet.... I can get them a few hours weapon training with a contractor, but I'm going to have to do some Zero-G myself."

"what do you think? How can I get you guys upto scratch? I feel like I should take you to an explored wreck first and do a run through with you... but we need to be making money to keep going. No credits in a stripped out wreck."

"Captain, let's go in at the deep end. Only then will we know if they're men or boys. Once we can protect ourselves and operate in a floating about environment, we should go out and earn our keep. There's no room for fat on this crew, so let's get ourselves fit! We can make this work. So, let's do it."

Marlena turned on a heel and headed out to find the rest of the crew. Although she had been drinking with some of them, she still felt that she needed to try and get to know them deeply, her life would be depending on them after all. She set her hair, made sure that her jumpsuit was buttoned between alluring and professional and headed for the bridge.

Marlena found Kyle on the bridge, checking out the ships systems using a 10 foot long holographic Gaia 3D model of the Botchery Clipper. Sections of the model had been removed to show systems, wiring, decks and... damage.

"Hi Kyle, how's it going? I thought it would be good to get to know each other - seeing as we'll be depending on each other!" she said, batting eyelashes just enough to be disarming.

Hey J.K, now for a bit of backstory I think - it doesn't have to be the truth!

Kyle looks up from the rendered model at 'High Maintenance' and watches her bat her eyelashes. Years of seclusion with the worst of society made him instantly defensive and suspicious.

"Chery here as had a rough life . . . poor girl; she's going to need some TLC, which I think I can manage." Kyle turns off the rendered model and takes a seat, "So you want to know about me? Well there's not much to tell. I was going to be Fleet, but . . ." he takes a longer than normal pause and looks like what he's remembering is pretty harsh; "because of an incident I lost my chance to be something more."

Kyle goes quiet again and stares at Marlena before speaking again.

"It's been a long time since I seen someone who puts themselves together like you, so the question I have ism why you here? Me I got nothing else, have had nothing else for a long time . . . this is to be honest my only real opportunity to do what I've dreamed of doing my whole life . . . I'm going to fly this Old Girl . . . I'm going to make sure she gets us where-ever and back . . ."

Kyle studies Marlena again . . .

"I'd like to keep my past in the past, but I can guarantee you I'll have the team's back, at all times, through anything."
Kyle takes a quick look at his boot reassuring himself that his blade is not easily noticeable, which makes Marlena notice it, " . . . I don't know why but I feel like I can tell you this . . . my life hasn't been pretty for a longtime, and I'm not talking bad work, I'm talking about SMEG that a pretty thing like you would rather not know about . . . I keep my word and if you or the other fellas get in deep . . . I'll find away to get you out . . . dirty hands or no."

Kyle watches Marlena not sure if she's catching his meaning . . . "You get what I'm saying?"

FYI . .. If anyone wants to do a background check on Kyle I don't think it would be too hard for them to find out he's an Ex-Con who was put away for Manslaughter. I can even add more details to the "Event" if needed. Unsure though what the sentence length would have been, but I'm assuming it's long enough to make Kyle pretty suspicious, but loyal to those who show him some loyalty.

Kyle keeps his eyes on Marlena, not sure how to read her. At first glance he would say she's the type of girl that
would empty one's cred balance for a new set of shoes, yet she has that air that makes you think she knows
the ins and outs of how to get results.

Kyle eyes the time display . . . looks like weapons training time is getting close. He thinks back to his pre-Fleet days
and the limited hands on he did receive . . . it would be good to get a refresher and see if he can still handle a piece.

Marlena smiles, taps Kyle on the hands gently and softly says:

"I understand, hon. I know you can fly this old bucket of bolts and that makes me feel safe. See you around!"

Marlena seeked out Mym. Her sum experience of Mym had been the long night of drinking and she got the feeling that he was the kind of guy who bottles everything up. A cool sheen on the outside and fire on the inside. She felt more comfortable with that self-deception than Kyle, who tried to conceal but nailed his heart to his sleeve.

What Mym did know was artificial intelligence, which was good because Marlena knew nothing at all. As far as she was concerned, an Automaton served you a cold drink made just-so, an good AI Automaton served you a cold drink that might make you shiver with joy or spit in disgust. For her, that summed up AI entirely.

"Hi Mym, how are you settling in? I've just been talking to Kyle, he's a nice guy... but we're going to need to support him... make him feel good about being on the Clipper. I don't think he's got much else. Found out anything about the AI yet?"

MrE and I have been away on holiday together (not romantic, well alright... a bit) so you can expect a torrent of posts again!

Mym had been contemplating just how to gain Warwick's trust and contemplating the fact that an advanced AI might anticipate that he was contemplating it and all that that implies when Marlena walked in.

"Huh? Who's Kyle? Oh the pilot guy? Er, OK I might be able to offer him some counciling if he needs it. Warwick here is probably in need of some help. Not that he can't handle the ship, but he's probably feeling like you would if we stuffed your brain into a rat and made you think rat thoughts all the time. I'd like to see him be able to stretch his legs and take on tasks that are more natural to a AI of his type." Mym mused.

Mym looked over at Marlina and something stirred inside him. He wasn't sure if it was attraction or disgust. He had so little experience with that kind of thing. Then he worried if she was telling him the pilot was unstable mentally. For that matter the captain and that artist guy didn't seem all that stable either. Marlena seemed to conniving to be considered unstable. No, no this one was probably the most stable of the bunch. Mym made a mental note that she was dangerous because of that.

"So, Marlena, what's making you the most afraid with this situation?" Mym probes

"Only the inherent danger of going onto decaying wrecks looking for loot. It's not something I've done before. I suppose I'll just be relying more on strong, intelligent men. Do you have any other concerns apart from our Captain?"